Residents say thanks for helping

After two years of concerted effort, the gazebo that lies along Whitefish River and the bicycle/pedestrian trail is complete. Luke Haberkern thanks everyone who helped see his Eagle Scout project through to completion.

His parents, friends and fellow scouts, Kevin McDowell and Brad Hendrickson, his grandmother, Tota Haberkern, and Deb Hendrickson all put their time into the project.

"This project would have never been started without the aid of Dan Keyes, Parks and Recreation director," Haberkern says. "Dan helped with the administrative procedures, fought for the project at meetings, and helped me jump through the many hoops of permits."

He also thanks Chad Grover, who designed the many versions of the gazebo plans, along with Brett Walcheck and Jim Henjum, and the City Council and Park Board for approving the project and providing extra funds when prices rose.

Picnic tables and a plaque, which will have the names of the many businesses that contributed to his project, soon will grace the inside the gazebo.

The oompah bands all have retired from this fall's Oktoberfests across the valley, but thanks to a dual effort by Eidsvold Lutheran Church and Vista Linda Restaurant in Somers, the work of several organizations goes on. The festival brought in a total of $1,350, which was split equally among the Red Cross, the Flathead Food Bank and the Lakeside Pantry.

A little more than three months ago, temperatures in the Flathead were climbing toward 90. Now, as arctic air rolls over the valley, its intrepid organic farmers have shelved their sunscreen and hung their shovels and hoes for another year.

Sage Spa Salon in Whitefish treated the owners of five of those sun-soaked farms to spa treatments this fall to thank them for their hard work.

They were:

-Colleen and Pete Wade of Browns Meadow Farm,

-Judy Owsowitz of Terrapin Farms,

-Pam Gerwe and Mike Jopek of Purple Frog Farms,

-Kipp Drobish of Raven Ridge Farms, and

-Diane Heart of A Taste of Sunshine.

"We recognize the value of your labor, sacrifice and dedication in providing our community with delicious, nutritious food," writes Rael Atlee, Sage Spa manager. "Your commitment to the well-being of Flathead consumers and their environment is undeniable, and the quality of your goods unmatched."

Every month the salon offers complimentary services to an organization or volunteer group doing exceptional work in the community as part of its Healthy Communities Program. This month, the volunteer cast of Whitefish Theatre Company's "A Year with Frog and Toad." North Valley Hospital volunteers, Head Start teachers and local firefighters also have been pampered at the spa, and Colonial Manor nursing-home residents have had their hair done and been given manicures, pedicures and hand massages.

The spa also has a Jobs by Design Program. In partnership with the local job service, one local job applicant a month is given a full spa day and makeover. "It's been a fun program," says Atlee. "Maybe they've had an especially hard time or it's a single mom who's returning to the work force. We hope it gives them that extra edge of confidence that fuels them to find that job they're looking for."